Canon PowerShot A550 - Great Camera that Can Be Had for a Great Price

Canon has a clever new little camera in its PowerShot A-series, and it is the A550. This camera is not quite as stylish as some of the other Canon PowerShot cameras (like the SD line) but it's quite comparable feature wise to other PowerShot cameras. For instance, it comes with a 7.1 mega pixel CCD sensor and Digic II image processor, which is supposed to enhance color and help with picture quality. It also comes standard with other features found on many other cameras, like a movie mode and high ISO shooting speeds, and the capability to display detailed information on the LCD. The physical design is not bad, but not compact like the PowerShot SD series or Nikon COOLPIX cameras for example. However, it is easy to hold especially if you have larger hands or have trouble pressing tiny buttons (most of the buttons on the A550 are easy to use). Another nice physical feature (that is disappearing on most digital point and shoot cameras unfortunately) is the viewfinder. I find this quite handy when using the camera outdoors when you can hardly see the LCD screen.

Other features include a 4x optical zoom, which is slightly better than the 3x zoom found on similar cameras. The preset shooting modes work well, but for those looking for a bit more customizability may be better off looking at "Prosumer" digital cameras, such as the Nikon D40 SLR or Canon PowerShot S5. The movie mode (which all digital cameras come with nowadays) is decent and can be set to various qualities, such as 640x480 resolution at 30 frames per second or 320x240 resolution at 60 frames per second for example, all with sound. The length depends on the size of the SD memory card, and what quality the camera is set at. Supposedly, you can also hook this camera up to certain printers or even your TV to print/view pictures, but it is often easier to just pop the memory card out and pop it into my computer and print or view pictures that way. There are some cons to this nice camera however. It takes two AA batteries, which explains for the bulge in the case where your right hand grips the camera. If you use anything other than lithium batteries, be prepared to replace batteries for every 75 or so pictures. The upside to this though is that practically anywhere you travel there will be AA batteries available, so battery life may not be that big of a concern to you. In addition, the door where you access the batteries and memory card is somewhat flimsy, and you have to be careful not to be too harsh when opening or closing this door. Another item of concern, and I'm only noting this as a design feature common on a lot of cameras, is the external lens zoom focusing. You will have to be careful not to drop this camera or let dust and dirt get into the external focusing system, otherwise you will be out of luck when trying use the focusing system on the camera. This is why you see internal focusing systems on weatherproof or waterproof digital cameras for example. Other than those minor details, this is a great digital camera for the price, which is now hovering around $150 USD online. I highly recommend it for beginners due to its ease of use.